After the recent "48 Hour Launch" weekend that drew more than five dozen participants, eight new companies now dot the city's small-business landscape.

The third annual event, sponsored by LaunchMemphis, replaced the organization's former Startup Weekend program. Interest in the program easily surpassed previous incarnations, leaders said, and the number of viable companies was nearly triple that of last year.

And organizers hope this year's tech-centric startups, hatched in the renovated four-story Downtown warehouse that houses EmergeMemphis, spark an entrepreneurial rebirth in the city.

"In 2009 we ended up with three companies and that was great, but this time around was even more successful with enough human capital to launch eight," said Eric Mathews, co-founder of Mercury Technology Labs and a founder of LaunchMemphis. "It's definitely an exciting time for entrepreneurship in Memphis. We're on the move."

The program's premise is fairly simple: Invite wannabe entrepreneurs to spend a weekend pitching startup ideas to like-minded creatives. Participants vote on the best of the bunch and then divide up into teams, working around the clock to come up with viable companies in two days.

The pressure to produce is both intimidating and energizing.

"The clock is ticking, so you have to make every second count and focus on your company to get it out of idea stage and up and running," said Caitlin Woodward, cofounder of TippJar, an online service that enables benefactors -- or just plain fans -- of a venue to financially support favorite local artists. "I stayed up all night, but I'd been to the other two launches so I knew what to expect and I paced myself. The great thing was that our site was live by the end of the weekend and we started making money right away."

Not a lot of money, mind you. TippJar generated $4 in its first few hours, but the fact that folks immediately supported the site was a big deal, Woodward said.

Ditto for Gerald Lovel, cofounder of ChronoComics, an online comics marketplace that connects comic artists with sponsors. Receiving instant feedback from fellow launchers, and in some cases interested Web surfers, carried a validity all its own.

"It's a different way of approaching a startup business, but it affords you opportunities to fail and succeed in a compressed period of time," Lovel said. "We were honest with each other and worked together so that by the end of the weekend, everyone had contributed and had something to show for it."

Next up for the LaunchMemphis folks is TribeCamp, a daylong "unconference dedicated to tribes in the tech community from social media to development to programming to design."

For additional information on the meeting and other programs, go to launchmemphis.com.

-- James Dowd: 529-2737

LaunchMemphis upcoming event

What: TribeCamp, an interactive program for myriad social media types

When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 24

Where: Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering, 1254 Jefferson

Cost: $40 if registered by Saturday, $45 if after; discounts available for students